Dodgers’ Alex Verdugo Hits 1st Major League Home Run

I speak for most fans, I hope, when I say that I am very excited for Alex Verdugo and his future with the Dodgers! He was a part of the first round of September callups and has been battling to get opportunities with a crowded roster.

Since his debut on September 1st, Verdugo has 3 hits in 15 at-bats, which comes out to an average of just .200. One of those hits was his first MLB home run that he hit on Sunday!

The numbers don’t seem very attractive, but keep in mind that it is an extremely small sample size. Along with being a small sample size, the time in between his appearances has been very inconsistent.

The moral of the story is to not give up on this guy just yet just because he isn’t making an immediate impact like Cody Bellinger did. In his career in the minors he had a slash line of .305/.362/.438, with 35 home runs and 137 walks. On top of that, he sported a 1.000 fielding percentage with the OKC Dodgers this year, with 107 games in CF, 85 in RF, and 15 in LF.

Whether or not he’s done enough, or will do enough, to earn a spot on the playoff roster is uncertain as of right now; however, if he doesn’t start getting more playing time soon it’s hard to imagine seeing him in October.

With that said, it seems very unlikely that he does not make the Opening Day roster in 2018. This will be even more of a guarantee if Joc Pederson’s struggles continue this year and into spring training next year.